Episode one: A Royal Hope
by bluezinthos
Summary: The Doctor and Rose return to London after a month long rest only to run into mysterious happenings at a local hospital.
1. Chapter 1

Episode One: A Royal Hope

"Chips? Really, Rose?"

"Mmhm," was said human's response as she lounged on the jump seat examining her newly manicured nails, the pink, sparkling polish glinting gold and green in the glow of the Time rotor. The holiday they'd just finished on Luxus 1 had been fantastic. Seven days of beaches, swimming, sun, hiking and an enormous luxury spa. The Doctor insisted on staying in a suite, the TARDIS relaxing in the suite's corner (brought up when no one was looking and making Rose giggle whenever housekeeping came in and walked right by her) apparently enjoying the mineral rich atmosphere.

Rose had been massaged, waxed, her hair cut and colored, even the Doctor, who wasn't a fan of causal contact with strangers (hugs not counting), joined in on the manicures and pedicures. But now it was time to get back in the swing of things and Rose knew they couldn't avoid Earth forever. After Donna and the Racnoss, they'd spend a few days in the vortex, allowing Rose a chance to get her bearings after clearing out the flat. What followed was a whirlwind of planets, shopping, jungles, the Villengard banana grove, and before she realized it, a month had passed.

And now she really wanted hot chips with malt vinegar.

"Doctor, I'm craving 'em. And the best place for chips is London. Just…just not too close to my time, yeah? I don't want to run into Shareen or Keisha straight off and have to explain that I'm alive."

The Doctor moved over from the consol and ran his fingers lightly over Rose's hair. It was still a light, bright blonde shade but the alien dye left her hair soft and somehow more natural looking. He'd asked why she'd cut it again but she'd only shrugged and said that it was easier to take care of.

"Alright, chips in London it is. Do you want to meet Sarah Jane while we're there?"

"No, that's okay; I actually talked to her a bit last night. She sends you her love. She was worried when she saw the list of the dead come out. Apparently someone forgot to call her and tell her we were fine."

Feigning interest in the consol, the Doctor grimaced. "Well, in my defense, I'm not used to…well…I'm not used to answering to anyone. Even if it's just calling to say hello or that I survived."

Rose moved beside him to look at the monitor. "Always remembered to call me."

"Yes, well, whenever I tried to keep you safe you did things like rip apart my ship or jump across dimensions so I figured I better keep tabs on you."

"Oi!"

"Ouch!" The Doctor rubbed his arm where Rose had playfully slapped at him. Grabbing her new blue leather jacket from the coral strut next to the Doctor's trench coat, she stepped out into a cool, overcast London day. Inhaling deeply, she caught the scents of the city, exhaust, grease, and just under it the static hint of an approaching storm.

The Doctor took her hand and led her down the street towards the chippy.

"So, what year did we land in?"

"Oh, not far, just about 2008." He seemed distracted.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmmm? Oh, does anything seem off about those clouds to you?" He pointed off in the opposite direction from where they were headed.

"Just that the storm looks like it's comin' in from that way. Over that hospital. Why? This your way of getting outta chips?"

Hand over his left heart, the Doctor pouted. "Why Rose Tyler you wound me."

"Come on then, and this time you're buyin'. I think you owe me about fifty quid by now and I know you'll never pay up."

Rose groaned as the salty tang of vinegar and potato exploded on her tongue. No matter where or when they landed in the universe, 21st century London had the best chips. Though possibly the 1970's came a close second once they actually made it to the Ian Dury concert. But the Doctor wasn't relaxing or really enjoying the steaming potatoes. Normally, he chastised her for drenching them in too much vinegar and salt but he was munching aimlessly, staring out the window at the storm clouds gathering in the distance.

"Okay, I give."

"Hmm?"

Draining her soda (which the TARDIS never allowed on board) and dropping the used napkins in the mostly empty chip basket, Rose stood. "Let's go and follow your storm clouds, Doctor. This is the longest I've ever seen you quiet, except your mind is buzzin' away over possibilities and now I wanna have a look, too."

"Those clouds are not normal, Rose." He binned their trash and grabbed her hand, heading in the direction of the TARDIS. "Well, they are normal as far as atmospheric composition, density, and ph but they are gathering in a wholly unnatural way. Something is attracting them to one location."

"Something alien?"

He flipped the handbrake and watched the monitor. "Maybe, could just be human interference as well. Tesla had a thing for lightening."

"You keep promising me a trip to meet 'im."

Glancing at his companion out of the corner of his eye, he frowned. Her blond hair had dried naturally into waves and she was dressed in a denim skirt and her purple blouse (his personal favorite) and blue leather coat were neat and tidy. Tesla would love her.

"And I keep saying he's a pretty boy and no more pretty boys on my TARDIS."

"I thought he never dated? Women or men?"

They landed with a lurch. "He didn't. You tend to be the exception to every rule." The Doctor dropped a quick kiss on her lips before leaping down the ramp.

"Still wanna meet 'im!" Rose called after him. She saw they'd landed just few blocks over, across the street from Royal Hope Hospital. Overhead, thunder rumbled and lightening flashed across the sky. Rose could feel the static electricity building in the air.

"Oh, now look at those! Those are gorgeous, those are. Definitely not a good sign, no siree, but such execution!" The Doctor ran over to one of the half a dozen or so large metal boxes that sort of resembled cooling units and was about to touch one when Rose grabbed his hand.

"Wait! What is it first off and second if you want to get into the hospital I can think of a better way than electrocuting yerself!"

"Fine, fine. It's a plasma coil. They pull together a static charge from the atmosphere, that's why the storms centering here. One great big lightening conductor." He looked up at the dark sky as lightening flashed by.

"So most likely not human then?" Rose rubbed her arms where the hairs where standing up even through the leather of her jacket.

"Nope. But I do think we need to we need to spend some time in the hospital."

Shaking her head, Rose took a step back. "Oh, no, I am not going in as housekeeping while you go and play doctor. Had enough of that as a dinner lady, ta."

The Doctor held up his left hand where the wedding band and marriage bracelet from Ak'kara still lay. "I wasn't suggesting that. I was thinking more along the lines of my lovely _human_ wife being admitted to hospital with a terrible case of abdominal pains. Most likely brought on excessive consumption of overly salted chips."

Grinning, Rose ran down the ramp to the door. "Well, what're you waitin' for? I think I'm feelin' a bit ill, Doctor."

Rose flopped back on the flat, hospital issued pillow with a groan before turning onto her side for a more comfortable position. _Oh, it's only stomach pains, Rose. Easy-peasy, they'll think it's something you ate or some female hormonal issue, keep you long enough for me to have a good look around and bam-o! we'll be on our way in no time._

She should have known he would jinx things. Getting into the hospital was simple enough. Rose had been worried when she'd unintentionally put down her real NHS number out of habit but no flags had been raised and she and the Doctor has been quickly escorted back once he flashed his psychic paper. She should have asked what was on the paper.

The moment the Doctor excused himself to "get some tea" a barrage of doctors and nurses came into her little cubby, wanting to know if she needed anything immediately, did she want a private room, how bad was her pain, and giving her an injection before she could stop them. The injection turned out to be a pain killer that made her loopy and next thing she knew, she was being wheeled in for tests. Nasty tests.

The Doctor must have picked up on her distress because as she was adamantly refusing any sort of sedation, she felt him whisper across her mind.

 _Rose? Is everything alright? What's happening?_

 _I'm fine, really. They gave me a shot of somethin' before I could stop them and things are all fuzzy 'round the edges. And they keep tryin' to make me sleep._

 _I'll be right there._

 _Doctor, wait!_

There was a commotion outside the door and she had a vague sense of probes being inserted in places they shouldn't and the doctors saying things looked good before fully coming back to herself and seeing her familiar striped curtain.

"Rose?"

"Who, exactly, did the psychic paper say you were? Because I said I was plain old Rose Tyler married to one John Smith." She tried to sit up.

The doctor set his travel cup on the tray table and raised the head of the bed before picking up the drink and holding the straw to her lips.

"Here, it's Rosapersica juice from the TARDIS. It'll help with the woozy feeling."

The cool, sweet liquid hit Rose's throat and she groaned, taking the cup and a bigger swallow.

"Easy there, don't want it to come back up."

"You didn't answer my question, Doctor."

"Well, I might have accidently, sort of said that I was a head researcher for climate and atmospheric conditions at Cambridge. Appointed by the Queen." He caught Rose rolling her eyes. "Why? Was that bad? It got us back here faster."

"Doctor, that's why they ran all those tests on me. They figured they should 'cause I was married to someone important. I had a tube stuck down my throat and another stuck up…well…other places that I don't think they woulda done on just anybody. Wouldn't a done it on a girl from the Estate that's for sure."

The Doctor's brow was wrinkled for a moment before it dawned on him what tests Rose was talking about. "Are you alright?"

She gave him a smile. "Yeah, just a bit sore. And still fuzzy. I have no clue what they gave me in that shot but it worked fast."

"I could tell. I tripped and fell into a broom cupboard."

"You mean you can tell if I'm drugged?"

Dropping into the plastic guest chair, the Doctor pulled out the sonic and, after peeking around the curtain to make sure there were no nurses in sight, scanned Rose. He nodded at the readout.

"Through the link, yep. Can tell if you're sick, intoxicated, impaired, drugged, a whole host of things. If I had to I can help you metabolize the chemicals faster but then it would affect me more. Slow me down a bit."

Rose frowned. "I don't know if that's creepy or useful. So what's the plan? Did you find anything out while you were looking around?"

"The plan at the moment is for you to sleep off the rest of the painkiller. I had a bit of a look around this floor and the below, saw a couple of blokes in motorcycle helmets walking around, that's unusual for a human, right? Helmets indoors? Had a nurse offer to give me a full physical. I did get them to waive visiting hours for me."

Rose smiled. "You flirted. And the coil thingies?"

"Plasma coils. We have time. From the amount of static charge building, I'd say they won't be ready until tomorrow. While you're being examined in the morning, I'll look around some more. Anything you need?"

Yawning, Rose shook her head. "Not right now, but I have a feeling stomach pains means I won't be getting' a five star menu."

"You just had chips!"

"And humans need to eat more than once a day, Doctor! Just because you put away enough ta feed a small army in one setting doesn't mean we all do."

Leaning over, he brushed her fringe off her forehead and kissed her hair. "Point taken. I did find a little shop downstairs; I think I'll pay it a visit while you rest."

Outside the thunder rumbled and lightening zipped across the darkening sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Episode One: A Royal Hope: Chapter 2

 _Rose? You might want to wake up, the change of shift's starting and I brought you something for breakfast._

The Doctor's mental voice whispered through her mind and wiped away the last trances of uneasy sleep. After her "dinner tray" had been removed – and she'd been right, it consisted of applesauce, beef broth, tepid tea and ginger ale – little had happened. She'd taken to keeping a paperback or two in the Doctor's coat pocket for when they ended up in prison and it _wasn't_ a life or death situation, so she'd read for a bit or listened to the chatter of the other patients, but other than one woman being scolded for wandering the halls, nothing happened. Well, nothing but the increasingly uncomfortable pressure that seemed to be building in the air that only she and the Doctor noticed.

Groaning, she shifted to make room for the Doctor on the narrow hospital cot. After only an hour in the plastic visitor's chair, he'd declared it a torture device and informed Rose he was going back to the TARDIS to run some scans. The sinful scent of pastry and bacon hit her nose and she sat up.

"Ohh, gimmie!"

"Hey, now what kind of greeting is that?" He held the paper sack just out of her reach.

Practically clambering over him, Rose snatched the sack and opened it under her nose, inhaling deeply.

"You got to wander around all night doing investigative type stuff while I was stuck here listenin' to the block across the room snore. You owe me more than breakfast."

"Tea and a stuffed puppy?"

Rose laughed as the Doctor held out a to-go cup and a small stuffed wolf with golden eyes. Grabbing the toy she snuggled it against her cheek, its soft fur smelling like the Doctor's cologne. He sipped the tea.

"Forgiven?" Amusement drifted over their link. It had taken both of them a lot of adjusting to become comfortable with having another presence in their mind. For Rose, it was the simple alien nature of always having the Doctor aware of her emotions – though he'd worked with her on building stronger telepathic barriers – the type of connection they'd formed was a naturally empathic one and Rose was an emotional person. It was hard for Rose to distinguish the true difference between actual thoughts and emotions and for a bit after their bond was established, she felt like she was being spied on in her own mind.

For the Doctor, it was two-fold; he was no longer alone in his own mind, which filled a void that had been a constant ache since the Time War – but it was also a link to the most important creature in the universe – to him, at least. And it terrified him. It was something he couldn't run from and putting up a telepathic block on a bond caused the other a near constant headache, something he hadn't been aware of. The TARDIS stepped in when she'd felt it needed but left her two occupants on their own to figure out their new place with each other.

Now, they'd settled into a comfortable rhythm. Both kept the simple silver wedding bands the TARDIS created for them for their adventure on Ak'kara, when the Doctor hadn't removed his, Rose simply followed suit, but they decided together not to remove their marriage bracelets from that trip. After removing the leather wraps to reveal silver-linked chains, the Doctor's remained on his left wrist while Rose's stayed at her throat as a choker. The Doctor told her the vows they spoke that day were similar to the ones his people once said to each other – long before Rassilon and his age of intellect over emotion – and it meant something to him when he said them.

So, confusing alien relationship or no, Rose was stuck with him.

"Depends on what's left in the bag." Plunging her hand in the bag she pulled out one scone while the Doctor spoke.

"Are you implying I can't control myself from where I parked to here, Rose Tyler?"

A half eaten scone followed and her eyebrow rose.

"Weelll…"

She handed him the half eaten one and bit into her own. The savory flavors of bacon and cheese exploded on her tongue, the pastry flaky and buttery. It was a good thing this incarnation could cook because he ate everything in sight. When she first started traveling, it was all meals from the food replicator, not the worst she'd ever had, but not this.

"'Or 'orgiven," she mumbled, trying to catch the crumbs.

Chuckling, the Doctor passed her a napkin. "While you're enjoying your breakfast, let me tell you what I found out." Rose swatted his thigh but he ignored her. "Surprisingly little. No alien life forms, aside from yours truly, nothing other than the plasma coils, which should just about be to full capacity."

Just as Rose brushed the last of the crumbs away and sipped the hot tea, the curtain was pulled back to reveal a gaggle of medical students being led by a middle aged physician. He frowned and gestured for the Doctor to move onto the pink, plastic visiting chair and the Doctor tucked the crumpled sack and napkins into his pocket under the guise of dropping a kiss onto Rose's head.

"A very good morning, Mrs. Tyler. And how are you feeling today?" His nametag read Dr. Stoker.

Rose gave the man a wan smile. "Alright. Still sort of blah. The hot tea seems to help, mine was cold last night."

He nodded. "Mrs. Tyler arrived yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, let's see if you can dazzle me."

A pretty black woman who looked just a few years older than Rose herself stepped forward with a smile. Pressing the stethoscope to her chest, she spoke low so only Rose (and the Doctor, but Jones didn't need to know that) could hear.

"Are you sure it was smart to be running around this morning wearing your bloke's tie and eating chips?"

Rose cast a confused glance at the Doctor, who shrugged. "Sorry but I've been 'ere all night listenin' to the man across the way snore."

Jones straightened and motioned for Rose to sit up straighter so she could listen again. "Really? I could've sworn it was you. Have you got a sister?"

Before Rose could answer, the lead physician spoke up.

"I grow ever more infirm, Miss Jones, are you having difficulty locating the heart?"

"I was checking Mrs. Tyler's lung sounds as well, sir." She looked at the Doctor then at Rose. "Well, if the chips are out, is there any chance of pregnancy."

Rose shook her head while the Doctor spoke up. "Ah, no… and that's on me really. No chance of that without some tinkering."

Jones nodded while her professor gave an exasperated sigh. "You would have known that, Jones, if you had bothered to consult the chart."

As he reached out for the bottom of the cot, a sharp streak of blue static electricity jumped from the metal clipboard to his hand.

"That happened to me this morning!" Jones exclaimed. A few of the other medical students murmured their agreement.

 _Well that was odd._ Rose glanced at the Doctor to see him staring intently out the window.

"Only to be expected, there's a thunderstorm moving in, lightening being a form of static electricity, as first proven by….anyone?" Stoker sniffed.

The Doctor perked up.

"Benjamin Franklin!"

"Correct."

"Oh, that was a day and a half, remember Rose? You and he stood on the porch where it was dry while I got soaked!"

She patted his hand and nodded. "You shouldn't have told him he wasn't the first one with the kite idea then."

"Right! 'Cause then I got electrocuted!"

Dr. Stoker cleared his throat. "Moving on. And I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric might be in order. Perhaps she's just humoring her husband but for both just to be safe."

The young med student glanced over her shoulder at the couple, still holding hands, and they beamed at her, Mr. Smith waving happily.

As soon as they were out of sight, Rose started laughing.

"Great! Now they think we're both nutters!"

Sniffing, the Doctor straightened his tie. "Yes, well, won't be the first time I've had to escape psychiatric. But I was a younger man then. Looked older but was younger."

"And I bet that's how you ended up in psychiatric, wasn't it. Tried to explain that." Rose snorted.

"Yes, well, that's what happens when you try and tell the truth about aliens."

A commotion outside the curtain caught their attention and the Doctor pulled the fabric back. Everyone in their little area was pointing at the windows were the sky had gone dark and rain was beating against the windows. The Doctor helped Rose up and they made their way over.

"Wow, 's really comin' down out there. 'S that what the plasma coils are supposed to do? Cause a storm?"

"Look, closer at the rain, Rose. We have a problem."

"It's goin' up!"

"Hold onto something! That's what the plasma coils do! They cause an H2O scoop. Someone is taking the hospital!"

They tumbled to the floor, arms around each other, as the hospital shook. People screamed, beds slid across the floor, supplies tumbled off the walls. A few minutes later it was over and the sky outside the window was dark.

Rose lifted her head from its place tucked against the Doctor's chest and peeked outside.

"Doctor, look! The sky…"

Lifting his head, he swore and motioned for Rose to get up.

"You alright?" She nodded. "Hurry and get dressed."

Rose disappeared behind her curtain while the Doctor stared out the window at the stars reflected from space. He picked up part of a conversation and moved closer to Rose's curtain so he could listen and stay out of the way.

"All right now, everyone back to bed, we've got an emergency but we'll sort it out. Don't worry." It was the medical student…Jones.

"Rooose, are you dressed?"

"Yep." She popped her head out next to him and handed him a bundle. His eyes widened when he saw it was not only the little wolf pup but her stockings. Mouth gaping, he looked from her to the bundle of fabric in his hands.

"Quit it, I need you to put 'em in your pocket. Too much fuss to get on."

Swallowing, he shoved the stockings in his pocket – hopefully to be forgotten about when he heard Jones say,

"But their not exactly air tight. If the air was going to get sucked out, it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

Ahh, their cue. Grabbing Rose's hand he pulled them up to step next to the two medical students.

"Very good point, Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

"Martha."

He rocked back on his heels. "And it was Jones, wasn't it? So, the question is, Martha Jones, how are we breathing?"

"But we can't be!" Wailed a dark haired woman with Martha. Rose looked over at her and stepped away from the Doctor to grip her shoulders.

"But we are. You're breathin' just to answer his questions right? Think!" She gave the woman a gentle shake. "This hospitals full of scared patients, it don't need a scared doctor on top of that."

Nodding at Rose, the Doctor turned back to Martha. "Is there a balcony or veranda or something on this floor?"

She nodded. "By the patient's lounge, yeah."

"Fancy going out?"

"Okay."

Rose slipped her hand into the Doctor's. "We might die."

Martha Jones raised an eyebrow. "We might not."

Rose laughed. "Let's go then."

The Doctor pointed at the dark haired medical student Rose had been speaking with. She was no longer hysterical but she was crying quietly. "Not her, she'll hold us up."

Pushing open the balcony doors, the three stepped out under the stars.

Martha gasped. "We've got air. How does that work?"

Rose stepped away from the Doctor to lean over the railing. "Just be glad it does, things don't always work out that way."

"I've got a party tonight. My brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really, really…" she stepped up next to Rose and placed her hand more gingerly onto the rail. Rose looked at the older woman.

"You okay?"

Martha nodded. "Yeah."

"Sure?" the Doctor spoke up behind them.

"Yeah."

"You want to go back in?" He moved up behind Rose and placed his chin on her head, looking out at the Earth.

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same it's beautiful." She watched how he placed his hands next to Rose's on the railing and they both sort of moved as one. The blonde smiled up at him.

"Here we are on the moon. Didn't think we'd make it since you thought it'd be boring."

"Mmm, standing in the Earthlight." He turned to Martha.

"So Martha Jones, what's your take on all this?"

"Extraterrestrial, it's gotta be. I mean, a few years ago I would have thought it mental, but Big Ben, Christmas, those Cyberthings. I had a cousin, Adeola, she worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

Rose sighed. "I'm sorry. We were there, too. Right in the thick of it. My Mum's gone." The Doctor hugged her.

Martha straightened. "If we got here, we can get home and I promise you Mrs. Tyler, Mr. Smith…"

Rose laughed. "Mrs. Tyler's my mum, I'm just Rose Tyler. And he's not Mr. Smith."

"Well what's your name then?"

"The Doctor."

Martha laughed. "Me too if I can pass my exams. Doctor who?"

"Oh, just the Doctor."

"People call you the Doctor?"

"It's really his name. Well it's sorta a title, too, but it's as much who he is as I'm Rose."

Martha shook her head. "Well, I'm not calling him Doctor. As far as I'm concerned that title has to be earned."

Rose shook herself. "Anyway, we know we can go outside and breathe but…"

Martha picked up her thought, "Where's the air coming from?"

The Doctor lifted a small stone from the ground and chucked it into the air. A few meters out it hit an invisible wall and dropped to the ground.

"Force field."

"But those don't make air!" Rose looked back inside.

"Martha, how many people in this hospital?"

"I don't know, about a thousand?"

"One thousand people suffocating." Martha looked horrified.

"Who would do such a thing?"

A rocket engine rumbled and they watched as it landed just outside the force field. Three rows across and dozens deep, armored soldiers marched out and entered the hospital.

"Aliens. That's aliens. Real proper aliens." Martha breathed.

The Doctor snorted. "Judoon."

"Why do I not like the way you said that?"

Grabbing Rose's hand he turned to Martha. "Come on, we need to see what they want."

The Judoon swarmed the lobby of the hospital, scattering terrified patients once they caught a glimpse of them without their helmets.

"Oh, look Rose, over there. That's the little shop I visited to get your puppy."

Brushing a potted palm leaf out of her face, she looked down and saw the shop.

"Oh, do you think they have others?"

Martha snapped her fingers at the pair. "Will you two focus? There are space rhinos down there and you two are acting like this is something that happens everyday."

Rose chuckled. "Not everyday. I don't think I've met Judoon before have I?"

"No. They're sort of like police. Well police for hire. Actually more like interplanetary thugs."

Martha watched them warily. "So why the moon?"

"Neutral territory. The Judoon have no jurisdiction on Earth according to galactic law and so they brought the hospital to the moon."

Martha snorted. "Galactic law! Where'd you get that? And if they're police, are we under arrest or something? Are we trespassing on the moon?"

"No, but I like that, trespassing on the moon." The Doctor pointed. "Look, they're making a catalogue. Which means they're looking for something not human."

Rose frowned. "They couldn't be looking for you, could they?"

The Doctor linked their hands. "No, I stay out of the way the Judoon. I don't want you to come to their attention. But still bad news for me if they are looking for an alien."

Martha looked between the two. "What are you two on about? Alien?" The Doctor stared at Martha going still in the way only he could. Even holding his hand, if Rose couldn't feel him in her mind, she wouldn't know he was there. It was a frightening look to turn on a human.

"Stop it. Stop looking at me like that."

The Doctor grabbed Martha's hand and tugged. "Come on then, we need to find what they're looking for before they find me."


	3. Chapter 3

Episode One: Chapter 3

"They've reached the third floor." Martha slipped into the medical records room and shut the door behind her. She was still breathing heavily from their run through the stairwell and was slightly annoyed to see that not only was the Doctor not out of breath but neither was Rose. "What is that thing?" She gestured to the sonic screwdriver in his hand.

Rose looked up from the pile of paperwork she was digging through. "Oh, it's his sonic screwdriver. Can't be without it, him."

"Well if you aren't going to answer me properly –"

The Doctor finally looked up from the computer he was glaring at. "No, look, it's a screwdriver and it's sonic." The blue tip flashed but the computer screen remained grey.

Martha moved closer and leaned against the desk Rose was working at. "So what else do you have? A laser spanner?"

Rose groaned. "Oh, please don't get him started on that one."

The Doctor threw her a look. "I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman and it was Rose's fault. Just had to get involved in the whole suffragette movement. Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon." He tugged at his already wild hair and Rose left the papers to move closer.

"We were just stopping by for chips, we weren't looking for trouble. Haven't been to London in a while and Rose can't go too long without her chip fix." He glanced back at her with a small smile when she playfully moved to wrap her hands around his neck. The physical contact coupled with the soothing presence of her mind helped to calm him a bit. "But I saw the lightning and wanted to have a closer look. Then there were the plasma coils – that's what was making the lightening, the plasma coils – and it was just building, so we checked in for a closer look."

Martha watched the pair curiously. "So what are they looking for?"

"Something that looks human but isn't."

"Okay, so something like you."

The Doctor frowned. "Something like me but not me. I haven't done anything."

"Don't they have a photo?"

Rose, who had leaned down and was typing at the keyboard, looked up. "Might be a shape shifter. Ran into them a few times. Even met a werewolf once. Lots of things look human on the outside. Or wear humans as suits…it couldn't be that easy could it, Doctor?"

He smiled at Rose and Martha nearly gasped. He really was good looking; tall, wiry, fantastic hair but the smile did it. He smiled with his whole face, skin flushing, eyes crinkling, it was breathtaking. And Rose smiled back like she'd just done a job well. If he smiled at her like that, she'd be a puddle of goo on the floor.

"Martha?" Shaking her head, she realized he been asking a question. "Has anyone checked in over the last week with strange digestive symptoms? Excessive gas?"

"Gas? No, nothing like that. I can check with Mr. Stoker if you'd like but can't we let the Judoon find it?"

"No, no." He went back to waving the sonic at the computer. "If they find it first they'll declare the whole hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive. Execute us all."

"All of us?!"

"Yes…" He slammed his hand against the side of the computer making Martha jump. "Oh! You see, they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever." He moved to pull at his hair again but Rose stopped him.

"Martha do you think you can get to Mr. Stoker without being seen?" Rose asked, gripping the Doctor's right hand in both of hers.

The medical student nodded. "I think so. I'll be right back."

As soon as she disappeared, the Doctor leaned back in the chair and rest his head against Rose's chest, allowing himself a brief moment to close his eyes.

"Now she's gone and done it. Said 'I'll be right back'. We're doomed."

Rose chucked and his head bounced a bit with the motion. "This ain't a horror movie – no more marathons for you. So what else can I do?"

"Really, you're doing it. You're helping keep me calm and you're thinking ahead for me. You see what I miss."

She leaned down and kissed him. She'd meant it just to be a light peck on the lips but he lifted his hand and tangled it in her hair to hold her to him while his tongue ran along the seam of her lips. While they'd become much closer since confessing their feelings, the Doctor was slow to move things forward physically. He'd explained that while yes, he had _danced_ and even married in his eighth incarnation, with the mental connection as well as the physical one, it was almost overwhelming for him.

So Rose relished any chance for more intimate contact with her Doctor, even in the middle of an invasion.

Pulling back with a sigh, the Doctor turned back to the computer. "I just need to get this backup running."

The door slammed open and the Doctor whirled, brandishing his sonic but it was Martha doubled over and breathing hard. Just then the computer let out a series of cheerful beeps.

"Oh, I've restored the backup!" Rose ignored him, dipping into his coat pocket to pull out one of the bottles of water she kept in there and handing it to Martha.

"Here. Take a mo'." Martha nodded her thanks and sipped.

"I found her."

"What?" Ignoring the computer, he moved to the door and pressed his ear to it.

"In Mr. Stoker's office." Rose helped Martha to her feet and the trio made it a few feet down the hall when they came face to face with one of the Motorcycle men. The Doctor grabbed both their hands and yelled,

"Run!"

The momentum of turning the corner almost flung Rose into the wall and she moved to let go of the Doctor's hand to get her bearings. Instead he let go of Martha and tightened his grip.

 _Not quite ready to let you out of my sight yet, sorry._

Rose stuck her tongue out just as he shoved her into a room marked Radiation.

"Martha, when I say now, get that machine working!" He went to work with his sonic under the consol, pulling out and cinching together various wires.

"But I don't know how!" Martha tugged out what looked like a stone's worth of manual paper and began flipping through it. Rose left the Doctor's side and began scanning the consol herself.

"Martha, that'll take too long! We just need ta turn it on!"

"I'm trying!"

The slab burst through the door and the Doctor yelled, "Now!"

Hoping that like everything else in the galaxy, the biggest button was the one to turn it on, Rose slammed her fist down on the yellow button and the room was flooded with light. Panic rippled through her briefly when she saw the Doctor's skeleton flash from the radiation but his mind was calm and he wasn't in pain – just an incredible itchy feeling moved through her body.

Martha peered around the radiation screen warily. "What did you do?"

"Increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead. It's alright to come out; I've absorbed all of it."

Martha peered up at him. "Won't that kill you, too?"

"Nope," he popped the 'p' and then smiled over at Rose. "It's just roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen blocks in the nursery." He began hopping around on his left foot and Rose felt the tingling sensation congregate in her left leg. She began scratching at it.

"Doctor, whatever you're doin', and I'm sure it's important, but can you hurry it up?"

Still hopping, the Doctor looked over at Rose and laughed. "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go. Easy does it. Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out. Ah, ah, ah, ah! It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Hold on…" taking off his red trainer, he tossed it into the nearest biohazard bi. Rose felt an immediate relief to the itching but the tingling remained.

"You are absolutely mad."

He glanced down and smiled. You're right. I look daft with one shoe." He pulled off the other one and his socks and binned them all. "Barefoot on the moon. Care to join me, Rose Tyler?"

"No, ta. You had a fit when I handed you my tights earlier." She rubbed harder at her thigh with a frown. The Doctor was fine but her leg still tingled like it had fallen asleep.

Martha just shook her head at the pair.

Rose stomped her left foot on the floor and frowned. "Yeah, about that. A bit of a heads up next time might be nice. I'm still all pins 'n needles."

"Really? I didn't know you'd be able to feel that."

Martha leaned over the slightly smoking body and gave it a poke. "So what is this thing? Where's it from, the planet Zovirax?"

The Doctor and Rose moved to squat beside the medical student, his right hand absently massaging Rose's left thigh. "Nah, just a Slab, basic slave drones, really. Solid leather, all the way through." He gave a wink to Rose. "Someone's got one hell of a fetish."

She bumped him as he rose, "Not like anyone else in this room at one time."

"Hey, now, that was another me. And who says I don't like leather? Maybe just not me wearing it…" He pulled his sonic out of the x-ray machine and gaped at it, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"My sonic!" He held it out to Rose.

"Oh, poor Doctor…" she tried to hide a smile behind her hand as Martha explained what she'd found.

"It was a woman – Miss Finnegan. That thing was working for her."

"It burnt out my sonic screwdriver!"

"She was one of the patients but Mr. Stoker – she killed him. She had this straw thing…and…and she killed him." Rose helped Martha to stand and tried to get the Doctor's attention.

"Umm, Doctor? You might wanna pay…"

"I love my sonic screwdriver!"

"DOCTOR!" both women yelled.

"Sorry." He tossed the fried sonic over his shoulder and moved to look out the door. "What were you saying about a straw?"

"Miss Finnegan, she killed Mr. Stoker with a straw. She was drinking his blood."

"Funny time for a snack…oh, oh, she's a shape shifter! An internal shape shifter! She drinks her victim's blood and them assimilates as them! Rose, remember those children on Fantasmas?"

Rose shuddered as she thought about the pale skinned, black eyed children who moved like smoke across a planet that never really knew daylight. They absorbed the emotions of travelers who found themselves stranded until there was nothing left but hollow shells left scattered on the landscape. Not even enough left to rot.

"Don't think I could forget 'em."

"Well, she's like that, well sort of, in a way, well not really but the points the same. She drinks blood and then registers as human. Come one."

They'd only made it a few feet when the Doctor pulled them behind a water cooler as another Slab passed.

"That's the thing with Slabs, always travel in pairs."

Martha shook her head. "Sorta like you two?"

"What about us two, what?"

Martha waved her hands indicating the Doctor and Rose's linked fingers and their wedding rings.

"You say you're not Mrs. Tyler but you have rings and you seem ...close. So what are you? Is Rose your assistant? Partner? Wife?"

"Ugh, humans!" We're stuck on the moon, running out of air, with the Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal and here you are asking personal questions. She's my Rose."

They got up and slowly rounded the next corner.

"Hah! Humans, I like that. I still don't think you're- "

Martha was cut off by a Judoon thrusting the odd blue penlight in the Doctor's face. It emitted a series of rapid beeps before going off key.

"Non-Human!"

"Oh, my God!"

The Doctor changed his grip on Rose's hand and she grabbed Martha before tearing off in the opposite direction and up a flight of stairs. Crashing echoed below them and the Doctor tugged harder, urging his companions on despite the rapidly thinning air. They burst through a doorway and the Doctor slammed it – reaching automatically for his sonic and swearing. Rose grabbed a fire extinguisher and jammed it between the handle and frame.

All around them people sprawled in the hallway sharing oxygen masks all of them bearing the large black "X" on their hands from the Judoon. Martha had moved to kneel next to the dark haired woman they met when the hospital first landed.

"How much oxygen is there?"

"Not enough for all these people." She helped an older woman with her mask. "We're gonna run out."

The Doctor and Rose moved down the hallway, signaling Martha to follow.

"Martha, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, running on adrenalin."

He chuckled. "Welcome to our world. Rose, how are you holding up?"

She shrugged. "Don't know how many more sprints I can handle but I'm fine." He bent down a bit to look at her face before nodding. Every corridor they entered was the same, doctors, nurses, and patients lined the halls sharing what little oxygen reserves the hospital had available. A search of Stoker's office turned up little more than his withered body.

"Think, think, think!" He turned in circles, pulling at his hair. "If I was a plasmavore wanted by the police, what would I do…" Stopping suddenly, he stared at the end of the hall.

"Ohhh. She's as clever as me. Almost"

"High praise, Doctor, but what -?" A crash at the end of the hall made Rose spin. The Judoon had broken through her make-shift barricade and were stomping down the hallway.

"Rose, Martha, I need you two to stay here."

Martha nodded but Rose crossed her arms. "No way."

"Rose, please. I need time. A distraction and the distraction needs to be human."

"Wadda ya mean –"

The Doctor cupped her cheeks and kissed her. He'd intended the kiss to be light, just a long, gentle kiss would be enough, but it was Rose, soft and pliant in his arms. It took Martha clearing her throat to separate them. Brushing her fringe out of her eyes, he smiled.

 _Hold them off then straight to MRI, okay?_

 _You're doin' something dangerous, yeah?_

 _A bit. But it's the best I can do on short notice._

He dropped another quick kiss on her lips.

"MRI room. Bring the Judoon!" he called, racing down the opposite end of the hall.

Martha stared with a raised brow. Rose could feel the blush rising up from her neck to her cheeks.

"What?"

"His Rose, huh? And what, exactly does being his Rose entail?"

Before she could come up with an answer the Judoon were on them, shining their lights in Martha's face.

"Human!" one growled, while the other marked her hand with an "X" before handing her a plastic chip. When the light was turned on Rose, it made the same high pitched beep as for Martha but then squealed.

"Human with traces of non human elements! Authorize level two scan!" Rose let out a grunt as her back and head made contact with the wall hard enough for her to see stars. The Judoon was close enough for her to feel his hot breath and she was reminded once again about how many species _didn't_ care about oral hygiene.

"What are you?" What are you?" the rhino growled, gripping her throat.

"That's the question of the day, ain't it, mate?" Rose hissed. Finally the scanner beeped and the Judoon nodded.

"Human with advanced genetic changes and prolonged contact with non humans." An "X" was placed on her hand and the Judoon handed her a credit chip.

"Wadda you mean genetic changes? Hey come back 'ere! We know where the alien is!" Rose called, turning down the hall.

"Yeah, follow us," Martha seconded, pausing to make sure the Judoon followed. "It's Miss Finnegan!" she grasped Rose under the arms when she stumbled.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "That daft alien of mine just did somethin' stupid. If he ain't dead when we get there, I'll kill 'im myself!"

Skidding into the MRI room they were met with the sight of the Doctor lying still and pale at the feet of Miss Finnegan, straw in hand, her two motorcycle slabs flanking her.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed running to him and skidding down on her knees. She tipped her cheek close to his nose. "'E's not breathin'!"

Martha stood frozen. "You killed him. She's the alien. She killed Mr. Stoker and now she killed the Doctor." She shook her head sadly as she watched Rose quickly perform rescue breaths on the Doctor.

"Oh, but I've already been categorized. I'm as human as they come." Miss Finnegan smiled, holding up her marked hand. Martha's eyes widened.

"You drank his blood. The Doctor's blood. He gave his life so you'd be caught." Grabbing the scanner from the Judoon, she waved it in the woman's face. She stood smiling until the scanner let out a screech.

"Nonhuman!" the Judoon growled, taking the scanner from Martha. "Confirm. Plasmavore, charged with the crime of murdering the child princess of Patrival Regency Nine."

Miss Finnegan sniffed. "Well, she deserved it! Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."

The Judoon stood back. "So you confess?"

"Confess? Ha! I'm proud of it! Slab stop them!"

The Juddon barely blinked before blasting the Slabs to ash. Martha slowly inched her way back to the Doctor and Rose while the Judoon were arguing with Miss Finnegan and nearly jumped when she noticed the Doctor's eyes were open. Crouching next to the pair, she smiled.

"You're alive!"

Rose brushed his fringe back. "Oh, he's alive, alright. At least until we get back home and I give 'im what fore for pullin' a stunt like that."

"It was spur of the moment."

Tugging his head back, Rose frowned. "So was crashing through a one way window and you know how well that turned out."

Martha watched, fascinated, as the Doctor blushed. A high pitched whirring caught their attention. The MRI was flashing an Overload sign and sparks were flying. The women helped the Doctor to his feet.

"Wait, it's not supposed to do that! Where are you going?" Martha called out to the retreating Judoon.

"Case closed. Our jurisdiction has ended." The Judoon filed out of the room as the machine continued to spark. Martha tried to move towards it but the lack of oxygen was finally getting to her and head swam. She looked over at the Doctor and Rose and noticed the blonde girl remained on the ground, pale.

"Doctor! Can you do something?" Martha called out. "It's going to explode."

"Oh, yes. Watch me." Swaying a bit, both from the loss of blood and the lack of oxygen, he made his way over to the tangle of wires sticking out of the MRI. It was a mess and he didn't have time to sort it all. Ducking down he grabbed the thickest wire and pulled. The machine died down with a sickening groan. He looked over his shoulder with a smile but it faded when he noticed Martha had succumbed to oxygen deprivation and Rose didn't look far behind.

Quickly checking Martha's pulse, he and Rose tugged her into the hall and then the two made their way to the nearest window, both Rose and the Doctor leaning heavily against each other.

"Come on Judoon," he whispered as the rocket took off. "Reverse it."

Suddenly rain hit the windows and he dropped a kiss on Rose's head. "It's raining on the moon, Rose."

They snuck out during all the commotion with the police and fire trucks, stopping once to wave to Martha before disappearing into the TARDIS. Her hum took on a scolding tone and Rose wasn't surprised to find the med bay was attached to the consol room. Two cots were set up side by side with oxygen masks on them and one had a tray with all the supplies necessary for a blood transfusion.

"Looks like the TARDIS isn't too happy with your stunt, either."

He let Rose help him out of his jacket and roll up his sleeves before hopping up on the cot. Rose had become far to proficient for his liking at hooking up an IV – several of those instances on him – and he walked her through the steps of getting the transfusion started. He didn't need much, his body would replenish what was lost much faster than a human's, and the transfusion would allow him to avoid dropping into a healing coma. There was always a stock pile of both his and Rose's blood on board for major emergencies, and while the TARDIS could synthesize blood products, he found healing time tended to be faster if the blood was actually their own.

He watched as Rose hopped up on the cot beside him and raised up the head, leaning back and closing her eyes as she look deep breaths of the pure oxygen.

"Rose – thank you."

A golden hued eye cracked open. "You sure your feelin' alright over there, Doctor?"

Chuckling, he shook his head. "I mean it. I didn't think the plasmavore would take that much blood, not when she had just drained Mr. Stoker. You kept your head."

"So did Martha. Though she does have a bit of a hard time believin' what she can't see for herself."

"What are you thinking? That we should offer her a trip?"

Rose shrugged. "Why not? It might be nice to have someone close to my own age to talk to." Seeing the Doctor's frown, she continued. "And female, Doctor. Sometimes a girl just wants to have girlfriends around."

"Alright, we'll offer her a trip. Martha Jones in the TARDIS!"


End file.
